U.S. patent number 8,508,326 [Application Number 13/379,780] was granted by the patent office on 2013-08-13 for surge protection device using metal oxide varistors (movs) as the active energy control multiple gap discharging chain.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Shenzhen Dowin Lighting Technologies Co., Ltd.. The grantee listed for this patent is Hui Ping Guo, Ya Ping Guo, Rong Huang, Guo Yao Kang, Bing Yu Shi, Wen Hu Shi. Invention is credited to Hui Ping Guo, Ya Ping Guo, Rong Huang, Guo Yao Kang, Bing Yu Shi, Wen Hu Shi.
United States Patent |
8,508,326 |
Kang , et al. |
August 13, 2013 |
Surge protection device using metal oxide varistors (MOVs) as the
active energy control multiple gap discharging chain
Abstract
The present invention may provide a surge protection device,
which may include a reference node, first, second, and third nodes,
a first arcing section (GAP) coupled between the first and second
nodes, and configured to receive a surge voltage from the first
node, a first metal oxide varistor (MOV) coupled between the second
and reference nodes, and configured to reduce the surge voltage to
a first sub-surge voltage at the second node, a second arcing
section (GAP) coupled between the second and third nodes, and
configured to receive the first sub-surge voltage from the second
node, and a second metal oxide varistor (MOV) coupled between the
third and reference nodes, and configured to reduce the first
sub-surge voltage to a second sub-surge voltage at the third
node.
Inventors: |
Kang; Guo Yao (ShenZen,
CN), Guo; Hui Ping (ShenZen, CN), Shi; Bing
Yu (ShenZen, CN), Shi; Wen Hu (ShenZen,
CN), Huang; Rong (ShenZen, CN), Guo; Ya
Ping (ShenZen, CN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kang; Guo Yao
Guo; Hui Ping
Shi; Bing Yu
Shi; Wen Hu
Huang; Rong
Guo; Ya Ping |
ShenZen
ShenZen
ShenZen
ShenZen
ShenZen
ShenZen |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
CN
CN
CN
CN
CN
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Shenzhen Dowin Lighting
Technologies Co., Ltd. (Shekou, Shenzhen, CN)
|
Family
ID: |
46051510 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/379,780 |
Filed: |
November 8, 2011 |
PCT
Filed: |
November 08, 2011 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/US2011/059764 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
December 21, 2011 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2012/064729 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
May 18, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120112872 A1 |
May 10, 2012 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61411041 |
Nov 8, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
338/21;
338/13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01C
7/102 (20130101); H01C 7/10 (20130101); H01C
7/108 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01C
7/10 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;338/21 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1377108 |
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Oct 2002 |
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CN |
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101090197 |
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Dec 2007 |
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CN |
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2376139 |
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May 2005 |
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GB |
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20080084147 |
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Sep 2008 |
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KR |
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20100073222 |
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Jul 2010 |
|
KR |
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99/67863 |
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Dec 1999 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Lee; Kyung
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Snell & Wilmer, LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/411,041, filed on Nov. 8,
2010, entitled "Surge Protection Device Using Metal Oxide Varistors
as Auxiliary Discharge Devices," the entire contents of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A surge protection device, comprising: a reference node; first,
second, and third nodes; a first arcing section coupled between the
first node and the second node, and configured to receive a surge
voltage from the first node; a first metal oxide varistor coupled
between the second node and the reference node, and configured to
reduce the surge voltage to a first sub-surge voltage at the second
node; a second arcing section coupled between the second node and
the third node, and configured to receive the first sub-surge
voltage from the second node; and a second metal oxide varistor
coupled between the third node and the reference node, and
configured to reduce the first sub-surge voltage to a second
sub-surge voltage at the third node.
2. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first arcing
section has a gap of between about 0.15 millimeters (mm) to about 1
mm.
3. The surge protection device of claim 2 wherein the second arcing
section has a gap of between about 0.15 mm to about 1 mm.
4. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first metal
oxide varistor has a turn-on voltage of between about 300V to about
1,500V.
5. The surge protection device of claim 4 wherein the second metal
oxide varistor has a turn-on voltage of between about 300V to about
1,500V.
6. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first arcing
section and the second arcing section are arranged in a series
circuit configuration.
7. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first metal
oxide varistor and the second metal oxide varistor are arranged in
a parallel circuit configuration.
8. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first metal
oxide varistor has a non-linear voltage-current characteristic.
9. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the second metal
oxide varistor has a non-linear voltage-current characteristic.
10. The surge protection device of claim 1 wherein the first and
second arcing sections form a discharge path for discharging the
surge voltage and the first and second metal oxide varistors are
used to reduce the frequency or magnitude of the surge voltage
while the surge voltage is being discharged via the first and
second arcing sections.
11. A surge protection device that reduces oscillation and allows
for better peak current surge control, the surge protection device
comprising: an output node; first, second, and third nodes; a first
arcing section coupled between the first node and the second node,
and configured to receive a surge voltage from the first node; a
first metal oxide varistor coupled between the second node and the
output node, and configured to reduce the surge voltage to a first
sub-surge voltage at the second node; a second arcing section
coupled between the second node and the third node, and configured
to receive the first sub-surge voltage from the second node; and a
second metal oxide varistor coupled between the third node and the
output node, and configured to reduce the first sub-surge voltage
to a second sub-surge voltage at the third node, wherein the first
and second arcing sections form a discharge path for discharging
the surge voltage and the first and second metal oxide varistors
are used to reduce the frequency or magnitude of the surge voltage
while the surge voltage is being discharged via the first and
second arcing sections.
12. The surge protection device of claim 11 wherein the first
arcing section has a gap of between about 0.15 millimeters (mm) to
about 1 mm.
13. The surge protection device of claim 12 wherein the second
arcing section has a gap of between about 0.15 mm to about 1
mm.
14. The surge protection device of claim 11 wherein the first metal
oxide varistor has a turn-on voltage of between about 300V to about
1,500V.
15. The surge protection device of claim 14 wherein the second
metal oxide varistor has a turn-on voltage of between about 300V to
about 1,500V.
16. The surge protection device of claim 11 wherein the first
arcing section and the second arcing section are arranged in a
series circuit configuration.
17. The surge protection device of claim 11 wherein the first metal
oxide varistor and the second metal oxide varistor are arranged in
a parallel circuit configuration.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surge protection devices applied
to or used in a power supply system, and specifically for spark gap
surge protection devices. The surge protection devices are mainly
applied in Class I and Class II surge protection of power supply
systems such as power distributors, cell sites, and power transfer
stations. The surge protection devices provide for the protection
of surge currents and voltages traveling to electronic equipment
and systems. The surge currents and voltages are caused by
lightning, transient over-voltages and operation over-voltages,
which can all cause the breakdown of electronic equipment and
systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Several different types of surge protection devices have been used
to protect electronic components from sudden surge currents or
voltages caused by lightning or other sources.
A first type of surge protection device is a metal oxide varistor
surge protection device (MOV SPD). The MOV SPD has been widely
applied to or used in a variety of fields to protect against surge
currents and voltages. When the MOV SPD is stricken by high surge
energy, it is easily broken down by thermal runaway or an
electronic current impulse strike. The withstanding capability of
Class I current impulse SPDs under IEC 61643-1 (2005) (Low-voltage
surge protective devices--Surge protective devices connected to
low-voltage power distribution systems--Requirements and tests) is
no more than 20 kA (10/350 us). To maintain good application
results, the MOV SPD includes a coated or sealed MOV with a
suitable power lead.
A second type of surge protection device is a spark gap surge
protection device with an auxiliary discharging trigger (SG SPD).
The SG SPD has been widely applied to or used in a variety of
fields to protect against surge currents and voltages. For example,
when the SG SPD is applied to a power supply system, the main
concern is the problem of the follow current. That is, when the SG
SPD is turned on by the surge current and over-voltage, the surge
current is discharging to the ground through the SG SPD; however,
the SG SPD does not address how to quench the arc or how to turn
off the follow current in a safe way--this problem is addressed or
solved by the present invention.
For a single SG SPD, when there is a discharging current in the
gap, a transient high temperature arc is produced or exists in the
gap and makes one of the insulating materials, named Gas-Evolving
Insulating Materials, release a special gas. This special gas
pressure increases rapidly to generate a sudden gas flow in the
gap. This gas flow creates a gas flow arc voltage between the
electrodes of the SG. When the gas flow arc voltage value is
greater than a voltage value of the power supply, the arc is
quenched. This describes how the single SG works as the SPD.
There are two different kinds of SG SPDs. The first one has a
higher arc trigger voltage with a higher residential voltage of
more than 3,000V and a lower protection level. The first one cannot
protect the system and equipment against the surge well. The second
one has a transient high temperature arc and a high pressure gas
flow. The second one includes the Gas-Evolving Insulating Material
and strength of mechanics cavity with a complicated manufacturing
process.
A third type of surge protection device is a surge protection
device having multiple serial gaps with capacitors as the divide
voltage discharging chain. As there are multiple gaps in serial,
the whole arc voltage is the single gap arc added as the serial
chain so the whole arc voltage is higher than the single spark gap
arc's voltage. When the whole arc voltage is higher than the source
power voltage (peak value), the arc is quenched in time. Currently,
two kinds of multiple spark gap SPDs exist in the China market. The
first one is a high efficiency overlap graphite gap SPD (China
Patent No. CN 101090197A). The second one is a lightning
discharging spark gap SPD (China Patent No. CN 1377108A). These two
kinds of SPDs have at least two significant drawbacks. The first
drawback is that the discharge voltage is not stable and the
residential voltage is higher than 2,500V (if it is tested by IEC
61643-1 (2005) 1.2/50 us@ 6 kV). The second drawback is that it is
difficult to control the discharging energy, when it is tested by
class I current wave 10/350 us strike, and the capacitor is easy to
breakdown and in the worse case it is easy to explode.
Thus, there is a need to provide a surge protection device with
improved qualities and functionalities.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides a surge protection device (SPD)
using metal oxide varistors (MOVs) as the active energy control
multiple gap dischaging chain. There are several technologies to be
resolved, but there are at least two key technologies present. The
first is a lower residential voltage. With this invention, the
residential voltage of the SPD can be at a level lower than 2,000V,
and with a fine tune and design, the residential voltage can be at
a level lower than 1,500V. This allows for a better way to protect
the system and equipment from the surge current and voltage damage.
The second is an active discharging energy control. The energy
through the MOV is actively controlled by adjustment of both the
gap distance and the MOV discharging current. Under the condition
of the discharging current being lower than the maximum discharging
current (Imax) of the SPD, it is to control the energy through the
MOV to be lower than the maximum withstanding energy before the gap
is turned on, to realize the discharging energy active control with
the trigger MOV working safely. So it is realized both for the gaps
to pass through higher surge currents and the auxiliary trigger MOV
to work safely.
In one embodiment, the present invention may provide a surge
protection device, which may include a reference node, first,
second, and third nodes, a first arcing section (GAP) coupled
between the first and second nodes, and configured to receive a
surge voltage from the first node, a first metal oxide varistor
(MOV) coupled between the second and reference nodes, and
configured to reduce the surge voltage to a first sub-surge voltage
at the second node, a second arcing section (GAP) coupled between
the second and third nodes, and configured to receive the first
sub-surge voltage from the second node, and a second metal oxide
varistor (MOV) coupled between the third and reference nodes, and
configured to reduce the first sub-surge voltage to a second
sub-surge voltage at the third node.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the present
invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the
art upon examination of the following figures and detailed
description. It is intended that all such additional systems,
methods, features and advantages be included within this
description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be
protected by the accompanying claims. Component parts shown in the
drawings are not necessarily to scale, and may be exaggerated to
better illustrate the important features of the present invention.
In the drawings, like reference numerals designate like parts
throughout the different views, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a general surge protection device
using MOVs as the active energy control multiple gap discharging
chain according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an exemplary implementation of the
surge protection device of FIG. 1 having 12 GAPs and using 11 MOVs
as the active energy control multiple gap discharging chain
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a disassembled physical structure of a surge
protection device that is one way to implement the schematic
circuit shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 shows an assembled physical structure of the surge
protection device shown in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Apparatus, systems and methods that implement the embodiment of the
various features of the present invention will now be described
with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated
descriptions are provided to illustrate some embodiments of the
present invention and not to limit the scope of the present
invention. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used
to indicate correspondence between reference elements. In addition,
the first digit of each reference number indicates the figure in
which the element first appears.
The surge protection devices (SPDs) described herein use metal
oxide varistors (MOVs) as the active energy control multiple gap
dischaging chain. The SPD is mainly applied in an AC power supply
system, such as between the line of L-N and N-PE. Normally, the SPD
is comprised of (n+1) pieces of higher temperature withstanding
conductors as the gap (or to create the gap) and (n) pieces of
insulating frames or slides or sheets to fill in the gap, and (n-1)
MOVs to form the discharging trigger chain, with other parts to
integrate the complete SPD, such as a connector, plastic enclosure,
fuse (optional), indicator (optional) and terminal and so on. Below
is an explanation of the working principles and concepts for the
circuits and structure.
In FIG. 1, a schematic view of a surge protection device 100 is
shown according to an embodiment of the present invention. The
surge protection device 100 uses two or more metal oxide varistors
(MOVs) as the active energy control multiple gap discharging chain.
Generally, the surge protection device 100 may have two or more
arcing sections (e.g., GAPs) which may be coupled to one another in
series and two or more auxiliary discharge devices (e.g., MOVs)
which may be coupled to one another in parallel. The arcing
sections may be used to form a discharge path for discharging a
surge voltage, while the multiple auxiliary discharge devices may
be used for reducing the frequency and/or magnitude of the surge
voltage while it is being discharged via the arcing sections. As
discussed herein, an auxiliary discharge device may be any device
that is capable of dampening and/or dissipating the energy created
by the surge voltage. For example, each auxiliary discharge device
may be a capacitor, a resistor, an inductor, an MOV or combinations
thereof. In one embodiment, the surge protection device 100
includes only MOVs for the auxiliary discharge devices and does not
include any capacitors, resistors and inductors.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary
discharge devices may be formed solely by one or more metal oxide
varistors (a.k.a. variable resistors), which may each have a
non-linear voltage-current characteristic. As shown in FIG. 1, the
surge protection device 100 may have a discharge path 110 including
one or more arcing sections (GAP), and a dampening network 120
including one or more metal oxide varistors (MOVs).
More specifically, the discharge path 110 may include a first
arcing section (GAP 1) 131 which may be coupled between a first
node 101 (or an input node 101) and a second node 102, a second
arcing section (GAP2) 132 which may be coupled between the second
node 102 and a third node 103, and a third arcing section (GAP3)
133 which may be coupled between the third node 103 and a fourth
node 104. The discharge path 110 may include as many arcing
sections as is desirable. For instance, assuming n to be an
arbitrary number, the discharge path 110 may include an (n+1)th
arcing section (GAP.sub.n+1) 134 which may be coupled between an
(n+1)th node 106 and an (n+2)th node 107.
The dampening network 120 may include a first metal oxide varistor
(MOV1) 141 which may be coupled between the second node 102 and a
reference node 121, a second metal oxide varistor (MOV2) 142 which
may be coupled between the third node 103 and the reference node
121, a third metal oxide varistor (MOV3) 143 which may be coupled
between the fourth node 104 and the reference node 121, and up to
an (n+1)th metal oxide varistor (MOV.sub.n+1) 146 which may be
coupled between the (n+2)th node 107 and the reference node
121.
In one embodiment, the GAP1 131 may receive a surge voltage from
the first node 101, and it may discharge the surge voltage across
the first arcing section 131 and to the second node 102. The MOV1
141 may reduce the energy of the received surge voltage by a
predefined magnitude, such that the third node 103 may receive a
first sub-surge voltage, which may be less than the surge voltage.
Similarly, the MOV2 142 may reduce the energy of the received
sub-surge voltage by another predefined magnitude, such that the
fourth node 104 may receive a second sub-surge voltage, which may
be less than the first sub-surge voltage. The effect of this energy
reduction process may be repeated, cascaded and amplified by the
multiple MOVs residing in the dampening network 120. Accordingly,
the (n+2)th node 107, which may also be the reference node 121
and/or an output node 108, may receive a well dampened voltage when
compared to the first node 101.
Because of the V-I characteristics of the MOVs, the dampening
network 120 may be able to suppress the surge voltage in a steady,
efficient and effective manner. Compared to DC capacitor based
auxiliary discharge devices, MOVs provide significant improvements
in terms of oscillation reduction and peak current surge control.
Advantageously, the surge protection device 100 may produce
residual voltage with little fluctuation and a smooth transient
profile.
In sum, it is a chain discharge process, when the over-voltage
between the first node 101 and the reference node 121 or the output
node 108 reaches the break-over voltage of the GAP1 131, the GAP1
131 is triggered on through the loop of the MOV1 141 and the
reference node 121, and accordingly current passes through such
loop to form the residual voltage of the MOV1 141. If the residual
voltage reaches the break-over voltage of the GAP2 132, the GAP2
132 is triggered on through the loop of the MOV2 142 and the
reference node 121, such discharge process continue until the
residual voltage of the (n+1)th MOV causes the GAP(n+2) 135 to
work, for the whole discharge process. The voltage protection level
for such products can be limited below the residual voltage of the
MOV1 141 and the arc voltage of the GAP1 131. Moreover,
accumulation of the arc voltage between the first node 101 and the
(n+2)th node 107 can assist the product to solve follow current
interrupting problems. The quantity of the MOV and the spark gaps
is dependent on what power voltage is needed. In one embodiment,
the total number of GAPS is 1 more than the total number of
MOVs.
The surge protection device 100 uses MOVs as the active energy
control multiple gap discharging chain. The surge protection device
100 includes n gaps in series and (n-1) MOVs which are connected to
(n-1) GAPs one by one in shunt to one end together as the chain.
The power end of the surge protection device 100, the electronic
end 101 of the 1st GAP among the n GAPS chain, is connected with
the main power line, and another end of the 1st GAP (node 102) is
then connected with one end of the 1st MOV 141 among the (n-1) MOV
chains. Another power end of the surge protection device 100, one
electronic end (node (n+1)) of the nth GAP is then connected with
another power line loop, together with the (n-1) MOV shunt points.
One end of the (n-1) MOV is connected to one end of the (n-1) GAPS
in order, and the other end of the (n-1) MOV is connected to one
end of the nth GAP in shunt joints, the same point as another power
end of the surge protection device 100, connected to the power line
as the joints. For the surge protection device 100 demonstrated in
FIG. 1, it is shown as (n+2) GAPS and (n+1) MOVs for illustrative
purposes.
Each discharging individual gap is made up of high temperature
withstanding conductors and an insulation dielectric where the
distance or width of each gap is about 0.15 millimeters (mm) to
about 1 mm. In one embodiment, the distance between each gap (e.g.,
from a first gap to a second gap) is about 0.15 mm to about 1 mm.
The turn-on voltage of each MOV is from about 300V to about 1,500V.
In one embodiment, the turn-on voltage for all the MOVs is the same
or substantially the same. In another embodiment, the turn-on
voltage for each MOV is different. In one embodiment, the base
number n is more than the natural number 3. The connection types
include metal conductors for the power connection and also include
over-current fuses and over-temperature fuses. The high temperature
conductors may be made of one or more conductive materials such as
graphite, brass, copper and bronze and their alloy metal conductive
materials and so on.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an exemplary implementation of the
surge protection device 100 of FIG. 1 having 12 GAPs and using 11
MOVs as the active energy control multiple gap discharging chain.
As shown in FIG. 2, the surge protection device 200 may have a
discharge path 210 including 12 arcing sections (GAPs), and a
dampening network 220 including 11 MOVs. FIG. 2 is an example
embodiment and any number of arcing sections (GAPs) and MOVs may be
used.
FIG. 3 shows a disassembled physical structure of a surge
protection device 300 that is one exemplary implementation of the
schematic circuit shown in FIG. 2. The surge protection device 300
may include an upper printed circuit board (PCB) unit 305, a first
plurality of MOVs 306 mounted to the upper PCB unit 305, an upper
flexible pole unit 310, an upper plastic bracket 315, a plurality
of insulating frames, sheets or plates 320 (e.g., PTFE slices or
insulators), a plurality of high temperature withstanding
conductors 325 (e.g., graphite slices or conductors), a right
electrode plate 330, a left electrode plate 335, a metal bracket
340, a lower plastic bracket 345, a lower flexible pole unit 350, a
lower PCB unit 355, and a second plurality of MOVs 356 mounted to
the lower PCB unit 355. The plurality of insulating frames 320 are
positioned substantially parallel to one another and alternate with
the plurality of high temperature withstanding conductors 325,
which are also positioned substantially parallel to one another.
The upper plastic bracket 315 and the lower plastic bracket 345
each have 12 channels, grooves or notches 316 and 346 that extend
or pass from a front side to a rear side and that fit or receive
the plurality of insulating frames 320 and/or the plurality of high
temperature withstanding conductors 325. In one embodiment, the
grooves or notches 316 and 346 hold the plurality of insulating
frames 320 and/or the plurality of high temperature withstanding
conductors 325 in place so they are all substantially parallel to
one another. The first and second plurality of MOVs 306 and 356 are
coupled to the plurality of high temperature withstanding
conductors 325 via the upper and lower flexible pole units 310 and
350, respectively.
FIG. 4 shows an assembled physical structure 400 of the surge
protection device 300 that is one exemplary implementation of the
schematic circuit shown in FIG. 2.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in an
illustrative style. Accordingly, the terminology employed
throughout should be read in a non-limiting manner. Although minor
modifications to the teachings herein will occur to those well
versed in the art, it shall be understood that what is intended to
be circumscribed within the scope of the patent warranted hereon
are all such embodiments that reasonably fall within the scope of
the advancement to the art hereby contributed, and that that scope
shall not be restricted, except in light of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *